Why preparation matters more when you travel
A student who lives near our school can review a weak topic at home in the evening and come back fresh. From Shavano Park, you are in a hotel room near Seagoville for the length of the course, with a car's worth of belongings and a long drive behind you. Arriving with the basics already familiar lets you spend classroom time on questions and yard time on the controls, instead of meeting terms for the first time.
Nothing here replaces the course. It just makes the hours count.
Shavano Park is close to San Antonio's north-side medical and office corridor rather than any crane yard, so most people here who call us are planning a change of work or adding a credential to a construction background.
What the NCCCO exams test
For a mobile crane certification you take two written exams and one practical:
- Core written exam. Site set-up, operations, technical knowledge and load charts, plus the OSHA and ASME rules that govern lifting.
- Specialty written exam. Questions tied to the crane type you are certifying on, such as telescopic fixed cab or swing cab, using that type's load charts.
- Practical exam. You operate a crane through a set course of tasks while an examiner scores your control and safety. We host it in our Seagoville yard.
NCCCO sets and scores the exams. Your certification comes from them, after you pass both parts.
Three things to study at home
- Load chart basics. Learn what radius, boom length and gross capacity mean, and that the capacity on the chart is reduced by everything hanging from the hook: block, slings, rigging hardware. Working a few deduction problems by hand pays off.
- Hand signals. The standard signals for hoist, lower, swing, boom up and down, and emergency stop. Practice until they come without thinking.
- The vocabulary. Outriggers, counterweight, two-blocking, side loading, tipping axis, quadrants of operation. If these words are familiar on day one, lectures move faster.
Our practice page gives you sample questions to test yourself.
40 hours or 120?
Studying ahead does not turn a beginner into an experienced hand, so be honest about where you stand. If you have never run a crane, choose the 120-hour fixed/swing cab course; seat time is what you lack, and reading cannot provide it. If you have operated for a while and need the certification, a 40-hour course focused on exam preparation may be all you need. Tell us your background when you call and we will recommend one.
The drive and the stay
From Shavano Park, Loop 1604 east takes you to I-35, then it is north past Austin and Waco and east through the Dallas area to Seagoville. Count on roughly four and a half to five hours. You will need lodging for the length of your course: either your own, or a premium course with the option of room and board.
For funding, Workforce Solutions Alamo is the Bexar County board, and veterans can use the Post-9/11 GI Bill® or VR&E. See funding options.
Coming back to recertify
Not every Shavano Park caller is new. NCCCO certifications last five years, and operators who are close to expiring sometimes want a structured refresher before recertifying. NCCCO sets the recertification rules, which include written exams and, depending on your documented experience, may include a practical exam as well; read the current requirements on NCCCO's site before you book. A short course gives you a week of focused review on load charts, rule changes and exam technique, plus seat time on our exam course if you need the practical. Tell us your expiration date and crane type when you call, so we can suggest a class that finishes well before it.